A Transient Past
by pinkbunny
Summary: Usagi/Mamoru fic -- give it a chance everyone! :o) mamoru has flashbacks about a mysterious girl, the senshi faces new evil, go to time corridor - huge battle at the end. R+R!
1. The Story Begins...

~*~HeY eVeRyOnE!!~*~ Thank you so much for coming here and reading my fic ^^ *screams in ecstasy* This is my very first fic guys - so go easy!! MORE COMING VERY SOON - like a chapter a night practically okay? Or at least if I get enough reviews *sobs* SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW ASAP!! THANK U!  
  
DISCLAIMER:: I do not own sailormoon, any of the its characters, blah blah blah.I only read it ALL THE TIME and LOVE IT TO DEATH ^.~  
  
A/N:: This means flashback /This means they're thinking/ ~*~*~*~This means another scene~*~*~*~  
  
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It was springtime in Tokyo once again, and an idyllic scene spread out in the Shinto Temple. As usual, five girls were scattered about the grounds, each doing their own thing as two cats purred contentedly, enjoying the first bit of peace that they had had in a long time.  
  
A certain odango atama was sitting underneath a cherry blossom tree, her expression joyful while her boyfriend, Mamoru sat next to her. No words were exchanged, but each could feel the other's presence, and for them, that was enough.  
  
"Usagi!!" The blonde snapped to attention when she heard her name called. Irritated from being so suddenly jolted out of her dreamworld, she whipped her head around to find herself suddenly staring in the piercing violet eyes of one very angry Rei Hino.  
  
"REI!! Can't you see I'm trying to spend some alone time with mamo-chan??" Usagi's lips formed a pout and Mamoru couldn't help but laugh. She was so kawaii everytime she was frustrated at something (which, with her track record, was often) and he gave her a gentle hug.  
  
"I think Rei wants to talk to you" He smiled understandingly "I've got to go to go catch up on some work at the hospital anyway. I'll catch up with you later, ok?" He planted a small kiss on her forehead, which made her perk up instantly and waved to Usagi and the rest of the girls as he made his way to his car. Usagi stared longingly as the red sports car drove off, then turned back to Rei, who by now seemed to be throwing some sort of inner tantrum.  
  
"USAGI!!" Rei screamed.  
  
"I'M LISTENING" Usagi shot back.  
  
"Finally" Rei rolled her eyes. It still stung a little whenever she saw Usagi and Mamoru together, but she had learned to move on. Still.she shook her head, coming back to her senses.  
  
"Luna and Artemis called a meeting just now. Something about a time portal. Sailor Pluto.Setsuna?? I'm not too sure! Let's go now and find out. Rei dragged her friend up and they both made their way into her bedroom where the others were already waiting. Ami, the brains of the group, had already started punching in stats and data into her palmtop while the other two, Makato and Minako were busy discussing their idea of the perfect guy.  
  
"TALL!!" Makoto exclaimed wistfully. Being taller than most girl, Makoto had always felt her height was a curse. Normally, she would stand at least half a head taller than the other guys her age, and it seemed almost impossible to find someone just right for her.  
  
"Available." Minako sighed. It wasn't as if the Senshi of Love were ugly - in fact, she was quite the contrary. However, her beauty and charisma aside, her talent was more into getting others together than herself, and as much as she loved to see two people truly in love, she had always somehow wished for some of that happiness for herself.  
  
"OK, ok! Enough with the small talk girls - this is serious business" A small white cat was sitting in the middle of the room now, his hands on what seemed to be his hips and he had an expression of kitty-anger.  
  
"Oh Artemis" An even smaller black cat came up beside the first. "Let them be for a while. It IS spring and you know what they say about spring fever. It's only natural."  
  
Artemis looked sceptical. He cleared his throat then started again,  
  
"Girls - the reason why I - " He glanced over at Luna - "WE - called this meeting is that we've heard some disturbing news on the tv just last night. As you might have heard, top authorities believe that a sort of 'fourth dimension portal' has seemingly opened up in the middle of future Crystal Tokyo and already three people have gone missing because they accidentally walked into it. The origin and the location for this portal is unknown, but apparently it is in constant motion."  
  
At this, Artemis paused. The girls stared at the cat in wide-eyed wonder. Then Luna continued,  
  
"It is to mine and Artemis' belief that the most powerful senshi of all - Sailor Pluto - is up to something.and that this is no ordinary portal, but instead a time portal. But the only thing we don't really understand is - why?"  
  
At this, Luna made an expression of complete bewilderment. Complete silence filled the room, broken only by the soft chirping of birds outside Rei's window.  
  
"So.what's that got to do with us??" Makato inquired. "I mean, I understand that she IS a senshi.but she's so powerful! She must have her own agenda.I just don't think we should interfere with that. You never know what's she's up to.and I think we should just let her mind her own business and we should just mind our own"  
  
The rest of the girls nodded in agreement. They had heard all about Setsuna, the mysteriously beautiful green-haired keeper of time and the magnitude of the power that she held. She was no ordinary senshi and she only appeared at the very brink of catastrophe - never out of the blue in the middle of nowhere as she was doing now.  
  
"That's very true." Artemis started slowly.  
  
"But we're still disturbed" Luna finished. "You're right - Setsuna never leaves her corridors for anything short of a catastrophe - and even then, she doesn't always appear. That's why I think we should look into this. Find out what she's up to and then decide where to go from there. There's no harm in just checking things out, right?"  
  
The girls all looked at each other uneasily. The Senshi of Time was definitely one person they all didn't want to mess around with, but they knew the validity of the cats' concerns. They agreed that they would meet up tomorrow to check up on Crystal Tokyo's situation.  
  
Suddenly, Usagi glanced at her watch and noticed that it was almost 6 - DINNER TIME!  
  
"AIiiee!" The blonde screamed, "mom's gonna kill me if I'm not back home in time for dinner! I was already late for dinner yesterday and if I'm late again she won't let me meet with mamo-chan today!" The girls giggled in amusement as they watched their odango haired friend sprint out of the room at breakneck speed, with Luna hot on her heels.  
  
"She certainly does run fast - I'll give her that." Minako chuckled as she scooped up her own white kitty and walked out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Urrrggh." Mamoru reached out a trembling hand to steady himself against a tree. He had been walking towards the hospital, walking a longer route through the park from where he had parked his car, when he had another flashback.  
  
* "It's time" a voice murmered."What? I don't understand" a young Mamoru cast his wide innocent eyes towards a steadily growing bright light. "Where am I going??" he cried out. "To safety." A blur of motion surrounded him, suffocating him, entrapping him.*  
  
Mamoru breathed heavily - the fifth flashback he had had in two weeks: did this mean something? He brushed away the thought.it couldn't be.It must be the stress. He had been working too much lately, barely having enough time to maintain a relationship with Usagi. He realized that he missed her terribly, and made a mental note to bring her a rose on their date tonight.  
  
Shakily, he headed through the glass doors of the hospital, unaware of the eyes that followed his every movement.  
  
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"Uagi!" Her mother scolded her as she ate as quickly as she could, "Slow down! You're going to choke!" The young girl grinned sheepishly, finished her dinner then asked to be excused. Her dad chuckled as he watched his daughter hastily prepare for her date tonight. He leaned over to his wife and remarked,  
  
"That Mamoru sure is a lucky guy to have gotten a chance with our little bunny" He grinned. Usagi heard the moment and blushed. She had always felt that she was the lucky one! /No matter/ she thought. /I'm going to finally see him tonight! I can't wait!/ She made the final adjustments to the brooch that she always wore on her blouse and hurried out the door, waving goodbye to her family.  
  
She had promised to meet Mamoru at the arcade - the place where their romance had all began. For the first time, possibly, in her entire life, Usagi found herself actually EARLY for their date. She smiled to herself - /won't Mamoru be surprised?/  
  
She entered the arcade and found her friend, Motoki working their as usual. As he saw her walk in, he impulsively got out a tall glass and began to make a chocolate milkshake before she stopped him, saying,  
  
"Don't Motoki - I've got a date tonight" Usagi smiled happily as her friend gave her a friendly wink. "With Mamoru? Lucky guy! Hope you guys have fun!" Motoki grinned - he had always imagined two of his close friends together, and now that they finally were - it was like he had made a match from Heaven!  
  
Usagi smiled, then sat down at the stool and proceeded to have a light conversation with her friend. As the minutes ticked by, she began to get increasingly worried - Mamoru was never late! Every couple seconds, she glanced down at her watched, scanned the room and looked at the door hopefully, but was disappointed every time. Motoki sensed her distressed and tried to soothe her,  
  
"it's okay Usa - he'll be here" He smiled encouragingly at her, but inside, he felt a pang of fear. He was never late. He had known Mamoru for almost five years, and his friend had only been late one. Even then, he had the consideration to call to tell him that he had been in a traffic jam.  
  
At nine o'clock, Motoki closed the gates of the arcade and returned back to the stool where Usagi still sat, her hair hanging limply at her sides and her hands absently fiddling with the straw of a milkshake - the third that could be found on the table. Motoki gently tapped her on the shoulder,  
  
"Usa? I have to close up now" he looked apologetically down at the crestfallen girl in front of him.  
  
"I'm sure he has his reason for not showing up - maybe an emergency at the hospital or something. C'mon, I'll walk you home. It's getting dark."  
  
He half dragged, half guided the now softly crying Usagi to her feet and they both walked solemenly in silence towards her house.  
  
/I can't believe he stood me up/ Usagi thought with a sob /Oh Mamo- chan - what happened?/  
  
When they reached her house, her father opened the door, and after a brief exchange, Motoki gave Usagi a friendly hug good-bye, reassured her that when he got the chance, he'd ask Mamoru about tonight, then walked back home. Mr. Tsukino caught his daughter just as she collapsed into his arms, sobbing her little heart out.  
  
"Why dad?? What did I do wrong? Is there something wrong with me? Does he not love me anymore?" The sixteen year old wailed as all the emotions she had kept inside her came flooding out. Mr. Tsukino could do nothing but hold his daughter, silently cursing the day he actually thought Mamoru was a good man.  
  
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	2. Confusion...

WEI!! I'm back again! ^^ *whee* Let's see how you like THIS chapter. Sorry it's not that long but well, I have a life!! *muahahaha* READ AND REVIEW PLEASE. Love you guys! ^^  
  
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The next morning, Mamoru awoke in his bed. He felt confused, and when he looked down, he found that he was wearing the same clothes as he was wearing yesterday. Shaking his head to try to clear it up, he stood up and tried to recollect his thoughts. As of that particular moment, the memory he had was a slight sensation that creeped up his spine - then nothing. Blackness. An empty void of memory where yester-night should have taken place.  
  
/What happened last night?/ he wondered, /Let me think.I was at the hospital. Finished my work. Wasn't I supposed to be somewhere last night? Wasn't I supposed to./ His eyes suddenly widened in horror as he realized Usagi's predicament last night. He mentally slapped himself on the head and closed his eyes in frustration, /I hope she forgives me.but I have no excuse! I don't even know where I was last night - how can I explain that to her?/  
  
Suddenly, blinding pain hit him as he was nearly thrown off his feet. Gasping for air, he found himself submerging into yet another flashback:  
  
* A little boy stood in the middle of a hospital, forgotten amidst the flurry of activity that rushed by him. He glanced around nervously before laying his eyes on - who? He squinted, trying to make out the blurry grey shapes that enshrouded him. "who are you?" he called out. A small childish giggle was heard before a hand reached out, took his and pulled him into.*  
  
Mamoru regained consciousness and looked around wildly to see if something had triggered that sudden flashback. Nothing was out of the ordinary and he closed his eyes, trying to let the scene sink in. What did it mean? Was it trying to tell of something in his childhoos? He slammed his fist into a nearby wall, almost denting it in anger and frustration - if only he had a hint!  
  
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"Hey Usa? You alright?" The blue haired genius asked her friend. The five girls and two cats had assembled beneath the Tokyo tower and were about to go in search of Setsuna and her mysterious portal.  
  
"hmmm?" Usagi looked up absently from the rose she had plucked from her garden this morning. /Oh Mamo-chan.where are you?/ She had tried to call his apartment earlier, but had received no answer. She had even considered waking up extra early to visit him at his apartment, but her father wouldn't let her and her friends were all counting on her leadership.  
  
"I'm fine" Usagi lied as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. The others exchanged doubting glances before Minako cleared her throat,  
  
"Uh - well.I propose we split up into two groups - Usa, you can come with me" The Senshi of Love patted her friend encouragingly on her back, "Rei, Ami, Makato - you want to take the west side? Usa, Artemis, Luna and I will take the East side. If you find anything or are in trouble, just send a telepathic message and we'll be there in an instant. DON'T take on more than you can handle." At this, she winked at Rei, who mouthed a "WHO ME?" with an incredulous look on her face. The girls laughed, then broke up.  
  
"C'mon Usa! Let's go!" Minako smile brightly, trying to cheer her friend up. Usagi dragged listlessly behind the others, as they began her search.  
  
After nearly three hours of searching, they had come up with absolutely nothing aside from seven nasty sunburns.  
  
"It's hopeless!" Makato wailed. The others looked at her in surprise - it was not often that Makato whined: that was usually Usagi's department, but as of now, Usagi had her head between her knees, her hand still tightly clutching the crimson rose.  
  
"I agree with her this time" Ami piped up, "I mean, how are we supposed to search for something that's in constant motion? The smartest thing to do would be to each pick a spot and then wait there for the rest of the day and hope our luck holds out"  
  
"Good idea, Ami" Luna praised. They quickly assigned individual areas to look after and spread out across Tokyo.  
  
"Are you sure you can go by yourself, Usa?" Rei gently asked her friend. Usagi looked up, and seeing the genuine concern in her friend's face, she plastered a fake smile on her face and said a little too eagerly, "sure! I'm fine! No problem! Well, gotta go - catch you later!"  
  
The girls watched as her two odangos swayed gently in the spring breeze. Then, after agreeing to have a talk with Usagi afterwards, they each left to guard their own destination.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey Mamoru! What's up with you today?" Mamoru looked up, trying to shake the sleep from his eyes. He saw his buddy from his ward walking towards him with concern lining his face.  
  
"I'm fine - just a little tired, that's all. Didn't get a lot of sleep last night"  
  
"OhhHHHhhHh." The youthful doctor grinned then nudged him in the ribs. "Got a little action last night, eh?" He teased.  
  
Mamoru looked up horrified, "NOTHING like that!!" He winced in pain - his poor sweet Usako. He wondered how she was doing, how she was dealing. He remembered how he had broken up with her before and how heartbroken she had been. He didn't want to put her up to that kind of pain again but how could he explain something he didn't even understand? /No/ He thought to himself. /I have to figure it out for myself before I talk to her/ He felt guilty about keeping such a big secret from her - but he didn't want to worry her even more.  
  
"Hey, I gotta go. I"ll see you later, k?" Mamoru hurried away from his friend. He had to see Usagi - even if it meant from afar. He exited the building and hurried off towards her house. As he walked through the park, an almost familiar sensation of pain coursed through him as he staggered, faltering mid-step. He closed his eyes - /not again../  
  
* "Do you know who I am?" a girlish giggle escaped the unknown toddler's lips. A young Mamoru looked frightened, but the hand felt so reassuring. He let himself be guided toward - what? He could make it out. To him, it was a dazzling white building. "No - who are you?" The girl giggled again. "Me? You can call me.....whatever you want!" Laughing at her own joke, the girl let go of Mamoru's hand and disappeared. Vainly, he tried to follow her but he had lost sight of her. "Little Girl! Where are you??" He desperately shouted. A voice answered, "Look inside your heart" *  
  
Mamoru awoke once more to the bright sunlight. He was aware of the crowd of spectators that had gathered around his moaning figure. He pushed himself off the ground, brushed himself off and cast withering glances at the curious onlookers /didn't they have anything better to do??/  
  
He felt even more confused than before. The young toddler, the little girl, the hospital - it all seemed so familiar, yet not so. It was as if he were watching a television screen, yet the scenes were all from a former life - a life that he used to know. He felt his head pounding from the exertion he put into trying to piece the puzzle together. He needed to talk to someone - and fast. He quickly made his way toward the one person he knew would understand.  
  
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	3. Setsuna

GUESS WHO?? That's right - I'm back with my third chapter :o) Hope you guys are pleased with my work (or at least if u're angry u're flaming me like crazy to get me to improve!!) Aannnyyywwhoooo, just to assure some of you out there, this is a USA/MAMORU fic - they will NOT get together with other ppl cuz they belong together ^^ okay - on with the chapter!  
  
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Mamoru hesitated slightly before entering. /if Usako ever found out./ He shrugged off his fears and prayed that he was doing the right thing.  
  
"Setsuna?" Mamoru called out. He had met this secretive young lady not too long ago, and they had gotten to talking. When he was around her, he felt an almost familiar aura of power and prestige and he had taken a wary liking to her almost immediately. Sometimes, they had accidentally bumped into each other at restaurants, and on the street, and they had gotten to talking like old friends about everything imaginable - their hopes, their dreams and their passions. He trusted her almost as much as he did his Usako, and he knew if he could turn to anyone else, it would be her. It was almost as if she knew and understood everything he told her, although he couldn't quite explain how.  
  
The green haired woman looked up from her desk and smiled knowingly - "At last - you're here". She motioned towards a nearby chair and Mamoru accepted gratefully. As he sat down, he noticed her watching his every movement and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. Nonetheless, he was determined to get to the bottom of his flashbacks.  
  
"I'm sorry to have to bother you during the day, but I have some urgent news to discuss with you." Mamoru paused and looked at Setsuna, who remained passively suave and collected. /It's like she knew I was coming./ He brushed aside the thought and continued,  
  
"You know I trust you, and although we haven't known each other for long, there's just something about you that tells me that you are the only person who can help explain some things to me. You see, I've been having these strange dreams - or flashbacks of some sort - and I see myself, as a young boy, in a hospital. There's also a little girl there too, but I every time I ask her who she is and what she wants, she just disappears. I know it may seem strange, but I have a feeling this means something. I just don't know what."  
  
At this, Mamoru sighed and leaned back to rest his head against the chair. There - he had finally told someone, but it didn't give him the reassurance he thought he would feel. Setsuna continued to sit submissively in her chair, her eyes never leaving Mamoru. All of a sudden, he felt a surge of pain and as he clutched the armrests firmly, he sank into yet another flashback.  
  
* Young Mamoru was running - running towards the building, trying to listen for the girlish laughter of the toddler. "wait for me!" He cried out as he tripped and stumbled. A hand reached out and a pair of large purple eyes looked with concern upon the now crying young boy. "Don't cry Mamoru. I'm still here" It was the young girl again. All at once, he felt a warmth and comfort and stood up, brushing himself off as the young girl looked on. "Be more careful next time!" The girl scolded him. The young boy smiled sheepishly, and then let his hand be taken by the girl. "Do you love me?" the girl suddenly asked. Mamoru looked up in surprise. Who was this girl?*  
  
When he came to, Mamoru blinked several times and found Setsuna staring at him - hard. Her eyes glittered dangerously before he felt a blow to his head and consciousness left him.  
  
"Finally" Setsuna murmured.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi shivered as she tried to make the most of her light sweater. It had been hours since the five girls had broken up in search of the portal and the "gentle spring breeze" had become a cold wind. She looked around at the park of which she had been assigned. /Just my luck to have to look for the portal here/ Usagi thought grimly. It was indeed a horrible place to be - from where she stood, she could see the opposite face of Mamoru's apartment building, but was just far enough away that she couldn't make out the people walking in and out.  
  
/Oh, Mamo-Chan, where are you?/ Usagi thought unhappily. She considered leaving her post - there was nothing worth watching anyway and it was getting dark. She pressed her palms into her pockets and started wandering off when she caught a glint of green. /Was that?............/ It was! It was Setsuna, the quiet up and coming fashion designer who had snubbed Usagi and her friends not too long ago. Usagi frowned in dismay /What is she doing here?/ Then her eyes grew wide as she saw who was walking beside her - her Mamo-chan!  
  
Tears welled in her eyes as she saw the two walk through the park, Setsuna ever alert with a slight smirk on her face, and her Mamoru beside the woman, eyes glazed over. With a sudden burst of energy and anger, Usagi ran towards the two, tears spilling onto the sidewalk. Setsuna turned around sharply and saw Mamoru's odango atama racing towards them.  
  
/Darn./ She thought grimly. With a wave of her hand, a portal appeared, and she dragged the mesmerised Mamoru into it with her. She saw Usagi reel back in surprise, and chose that moment to summon some of her maidens - /This should keep Usagi busy./ Then she entered the portal and it disappeared, taking Mamoru with her.  
  
Usagi blinked hard - what was going on?? How did Setsuna do that? Was there more to this Emerald haired beauty than met the eye? Without thinking twice, her hand flew to her brooch, and within seconds, Sailormoon stood before Setsuna's time maidens. There were four of them, each clad in a long silver dress, wielding a key-like glaive much like Setsuna's own. Their red eyes held no soul as their unearthly wails filled the air. Their faces distinctly alien-like held a kind of evil beauty as they smirked, laughed and taunted the golden haired sailor soldier. Sailormoon winced as the supernatural sound waves passed over her: she needed help - and fast!  
  
/Scouts!! If you can hear me, come to the park right now. I need you!/ Sailormoon jumped out of the way just as the four attacked her at once. She managed to dodge a couple more blows until one caught her by surprise and knocked her to the ground. The four maidens hovered above her, cackling away, glaives raised to strike the final blow. Sailormoon closed her eyes and put her hands up in a desperate attempt to ward off her attackers. Suddenly, a chain of golden hearts pierced the air as she heard a familiar voice yell out,  
  
"Venus Love Me Chain!"  
  
"MINAKO!" a grateful Sailormoon rolled over onto her side to greet the senshi of love who now stood beside her, along with the other senshis - Mercury, Mars and Jupiter who were in attack position. The time maidens hissed in anger at the newcomers.  
  
"Get away from her and see how you like this!" The raven haired Senshi of fire cried, "Burning Mandala!"  
  
The sudden spurt of fire hit two of the time maidens head on and they collapsed, unable to regain the power that they once held over the battle. The other two reeled in anger and terror, then raised their glaives as they struck out at the new senshis.  
  
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" "Shine Aqua Illusion!"  
  
Both Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury attacked together, paralyzing the last two maidens.  
  
"Go on Sailormoon! Do it now!" Sailor Venus shouted.  
  
"Right!" Sailormoon nodded, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"  
  
As Sailormoon aimed the Spiral Heart Moon Rod at the time maidens, they screamed in agony, then were obliterated to mere shards of light. The Senshis sighed a breath of relief.  
  
"That sure was close Usa! What happened? Did you find the portal?" Ami had detransformed and was giving her friend a hug. Usagi had also turned back into a normal teenager and was shaking - both with fright and sadness. "I don't know where to start Ami!" Usagi sobbed, "It all happened so fast. I was just standing here and I was about to leave to visit Mamo-Chan when I saw him! And her! Together! With MY Mamo-Chan!" At this, Usagi broke down again and a flood of tears cascaded down her cheeks.  
  
"C'mon Usa, calm down and tell us what happened. What did you see?" Rei prodded. She laid a hand on her friend's shoulder and tried to will her to speak her mind with her budding psychic powers.  
  
"Well, I'm not so sure myself what happened you see" Usagi began, "It all happened so fast. All I know is that I saw Mamo-chan and Setsuna walking together in the park, and when I ran over to them to confront them, Setsuna gave me a really nasty look, waved her hand, opened a portal and sent those time maidens at me. And I guess she left with him" Usagi sighed deeply, drained both physically and emotionally from the battle and the pain of heartache. She no longer had any more tears left in her to cry.  
  
"Oh Usa" Both Makoto and Minako went over to her friend and gave her a hug.  
  
"Well, this is certainly turning out to be a lot stranger than what Artemis and I had imagined it to be" Luna suddenly appeared out of nowhere with the white cat at her side. "Setsuna would never have left her time corridor, and she would not want anything to do with Mamoru - at least not that I would know of. I'm afraid we don't know the half of what's going on."  
  
"Luna's right" Artemis continued, "There's definitely something weird going on and it's up to you five to find out what. Perhaps we'll need to call upon the outer senshi too if this gets too out of hand, but for now, I'm afraid we'll have to act right away"  
  
The girls grimaced. They didn't particularly like having Michiru and Haruka around, especially since it was always hard to determine which side they were really on. Nonetheless, they had both pulled through for the inner senshis many times, and on occasion, they proved to be the difference between a victory and a defeat.  
  
"I suggest we teleport to the time corridor and confront her head on" Rei suddenly spoke up. The other girls and even the cats looked at her in horror.  
  
"The Time Corridor?!" Ami exclaimed, "We aren't allowed there! And even if Setsuna let us in, which by Usa's description of her just then, is highly unlikely, what are we going to do? We're defenceless in there, especially if Pluto decides to use her dead scream attack - or worse." Ami shuddered, thinking about the forbidden attack.  
  
"I agree with Rei" Minako spoke up. "We're not going to get anywhere by just standing here waiting for her to reappear. We don't even know if she will ever again! And now that she has Mamoru, I think the situation has gone out of control. We need to stop it as soon as possible."  
  
The seven stood in silence, each pondering and weighing out the consequences. Finally, Luna broke the silence,  
  
"Usagi? What do you think we should do? As the leader, the decision is up to you." The black cat padded up to the pig-tailed senshi and placed an encouraging paw on her lap. "We all support you in whatever you decide to do." Usagi sighed again. /if we go, I'll be risking the lives of all my friends. There's no way of knowing whether or not we'll even survive the trip. But if we don't, Mamo-Chan is lost forever./  
  
Without hesitation, Usagi stood up, brushed some stray hairs out of her eyes and looked at the group with determination. She placed her hand on her brooch and transformed into Sailormoon. Realizing her decision, the other girls hastily transformed as well.  
  
"I guess this is it" Makoto mused, "It's all or nothing now" The other girls managed a weak smile, held hands, then shouted,  
  
"Sailor Teleport!" In a moment, a glow centered around the girls, and they disappeared, teleported to their destiny - to the Time Corridor.  
  
Luna and Artemis glanced skyward, then closed their eyes.  
  
"Good Luck." They whispered. 


	4. The Time Corridor

Bonjour Tout le monde!! *wahaha* just a little french to semi-confuse you guys there! Well, guess what? I'M BACK! ^^ and with a fourth chapter to boot (I know, I know, you don't have to all welcome me back at once - hehe!!) um, okay, I'm not getting a lot of reviews. :o( does that mean you guys don't like me?! PLEASE REVIEW!!! I need to know whether or not I should keep writing or if I'm wasting my time. Thanks a bunch!! PS - the characters in this fic are NOT out of character..don't sweat cuz it'll all make sense in the end :o)  
  
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Mamoru felt a cool hand on his forehead and he groaned as he tried to sit up. His head felt like it had just exploded into a million pieces and he gingerly reached towards the back of his head and felt the large lump a blunt object had left behind. Suddenly, he was aware of the person whose hand he had felt no his head and he turned around to face her.  
  
"Hi Mamoru. Do you remember me?" The girl spoke in a soft lilting voice. It was deceptively innocent, but he could sense a sharp edge to it. Outwardly, the girl looked about twenty-ish, but something in her eyes made her seem almost ancient. Her eyes were a deep purple, the colour of violets and her hair was long and straight, without bangs and light silver in colour. Slender and almost fragile looking, she had on a simple white dress that hung loosely about her small frame. As breathtaking as she was, Mamoru was not aroused, but instead looked perplexed and wondered how she knew his name.  
  
"No - who are you?" Mamoru asked. The girl seemed faintly familiar - a ghostly illusion, a shadow of a memory. He tried to rack his brain, placing her face with a name, but he couldn't. The swelling in his head was catching most of his attention and he winced in pain.  
  
"Wait - don't move." The girl gently placed her hands over his head and Mamoru could feel a warm comfort creep through him - again. This feeling. /I've felt this way before - but where?/  
  
"Oh, Mamoru. I can't believe you don't remember me." The pain had subsided now and Mamoru was relieved to find that he could think clearly once more. The girl looked sadly at him,  
  
"Do you not remember the dreams? The flashbacks? Me?" The girl emitted a high pitched laugh which sent chills down Mamoru's spine - he remembered. The little girl, the hospital, the building, the laugh. It came as a flood of different memories, both kept and forgotten  
  
"It's you." Mamoru closed his eyes. He remembered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Usa!" As the senshis landed softly outside the corridor, Usagi had fallen, collapsed from the fatigue she felt as a result of the stress she had been put through the past couple of days. The senshis lifted up their leader and Ami looked her over in concern,  
  
"Oh Usa, you're so weak. You need rest. Are you sure you want to go through with this? We could come back later after you've recuperated."  
  
"No. We have to go now. Mamo-chan needs me and we're here anyway. Let's go" Sailormoon straightened herself up and drew her energy from the power of her love for her destined. The others silently obeyed and made their way wordlessly through the time arch. A shiver ran through their spines they embarked on what they knew was a near impossible mission.  
  
A great door stood before the senshis - the door that led to the corridor of time, and it was here that they halted to consider their next course of action.  
  
"Well, according to my analysis of the surroundings, there are three life forms in there, but I can't quite make out whom." Sailor Mercury informed the group.  
  
"Should we go in?" Sailor Jupiter inquired. She glanced nervously around at the group, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Let's go in" Sailormoon pressed her palm against the ancient letterings, and after giving off a slight glow, the door parted.  
  
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Mamoru had his eyes closed as he tried to let the memories sink in. He remembered everything now. The hospital, the girl, and the white building - it all seemed so clear.  
  
"So you remember?" The girl smiled brightly. Cheerfully. Longingly.  
  
"Yes I do" Mamoru replied quietly. He had never learned her name, had barely remembered her very existence until now. He had been admitted into the hospital not too long before he met her because he had gotten into a car accident - one that claimed the lives of both his parents. He had been depressed, lonely and looking for an escape when he had gotten lost while exploring the hospital. Frightened, and looking desperately for a familiar face, he found nothing but the brutality of death as emergency workers worked fast paced to save the patients in the hospital.  
  
He remembered the relief he had felt when someone had reached out to him - even if it was only a silly little girl, one of whom he had never seen before. She had led him away from the madness - away from the confusion and to the white building. Oh, how he remembered the white building: their dream castle. She had told him that this was their place - their secret place and that no one except those who truly cared could enter. He had been happy to find such an extraordinary friend and spent every minute with her.  
  
But then he also remembered the pain. The pain she brought when her true nature shone through in those rare moments of anger. Her eyes would flash, and her skin took on an unearthly silver glow. He knew she wasn't human, but the fact never frightened him until she started to love him. As a young boy he thought nothing of such matters, but now he cringed as he realized how much she had really loved him. And still did.  
  
"Oh Mamoru - I've been looking all over for you. I did everything I could to find you but you were so elusive!" The girl giggled again, this time moving her hand so that it rested gently on Mamoru's own. He moved his hand uncomfortably and shifted so that he could survey his surroundings.  
  
A small gasp of surprise escaped his lips as he realized where he was - the Time Corridor! /How could I have gotten here? And where's Setsuna?/ His latter question was answered almost immediately as his eyes rested on a silent figure, lying crumpled in a heap not too far away from him.  
  
"Setsuna!" Mamoru struggled to get up against the hands of the silver girl who was deceivingly strong for her size. "What's wrong with Setsuna?? Is she okay?"  
  
"Yes she is. She will be fine" The girl replied quietly. "Don't worry about her. She's a strong girl. Now come on Mamo-Chan. Let's go to our castle" With that, the girl grasped Mamoru's hands tightly and attempted to drag him up and towards a time portal which had opened up for them.  
  
Mamoru looked up, horrified. /Had she just called me Mamo-Chan? Oh no....it can't be...../  
  
"No! Wait! Not until you explain everything" Mamoru used the last of his strength to retain his position on the ground, and the girl sighed when she saw that her love would not move.  
  
"Very well. Close your eyes." The girl closed her eyes and rested her index finger lightly on Mamoru's forehead. Instantly, he felt the familiar surge of power as another flashback took hold of his body.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Mamo-chan!" Usagi spotted the figure on the ground right away and ran towards him, oblivious of the girl who knelt beside him. She ran until she was several feet from them, then crashed into an invisible barrier. It was an energy shield, used as a very powerful self defence mechanism. She was reflected off the barrier, and landed in a heap.  
  
"Usako!" Mamoru had managed to break free of the trance the girl had attempted to put him under turned when he heard his name being called. He sprang up instinctively to try to get to the fallen Sailormoon. Seeing Mamoru's concern over the golden haired senshi, an anger flared up inside the silver girl's heart and she was overcome by a jealous rage.  
  
"He's mine!" She screamed as a surge of power emitted from her palm and caught Mamoru in the back. He staggered, then fell, and the silver girl ran over to him. "Oh Mamoru...." She whispered "Let's go now" The five senshis could only look on helplessly as the silver girl forced Mamoru up and escaped through a portal. When the glow disappeared as the time portal closed, the senshis were plunged into semi-darkness.  
  
"Usa? Are you okay?" Saillor Venus looked at her friend, worry lines creasing her face.  
  
"Oh Mamo-Chan.." Sailormoon pushed herself off her feet and ran a couple steps before nearly stumbling over a partially hidden figure lying on the ground.  
  
"Sailor Pluto!" Sailormon cried out in surprise as she realized who the person was. It was, indeed, the Senshi of Time, without her glaive, her hair disarrayed and her skin deathly pale. The others gathered around the two to inspect the situation.  
  
"Here, let me handle this." Sailormoon gingerly stepped aside as the powerful Sailor Mars placed her hands over Pluto. Several minutes passed as she chanted strange incantations and waved her hands to perform a healing spell. The others looked on as gradually, the colour drained back into Setsuna's face and her eyes fluttered open.  
  
Suddenly, she sprang up shakily and turned to the scouts in confusion, "What are you doing here? You know you guys aren't allowed in the Time Corridor" She glanced around, searching for her glaive.  
  
"Something horrible has happened! She's got Mamoru!" Sailormoon pleaded. After hastily explaining their situation, Sailor Pluto relaxed a bit and pondered over the events.  
  
"Please! We don't have much time!" Makoto stepped forward to face Setsuna. "We need to find the silver haired girl and Mamoru!" Setsuna looked up in surprise. She had never seen this kind of a passion before and sensing their desperation, she relented.  
  
"Alright. I will allow you all to use the time portal, but you must remember one thing. All change leads to consequence and if you change anything that happened in the past, it will be reflected like ripples through time. Things might be different as it should be and is now. Be very careful in there." Sailor Pluto paused as she pondered how to find the two and how to send the senshis there without her glaive.  
  
"I have an idea." Sailor Pluto walked quickly to a beautifully adorned set of double doors and motioned the other senshis to follow her. They assembled in front of the doors as Pluto gave them their final instructions.  
  
"I will send you through this. You must all link hands and enter, concentrating on nothing but who you want to find. The magic within will transport you to where the time portal that opened up for the two are. From them on, you will have three hours to do what you must do before I summon the appearance of the double doors for you to return. Good luck!" Setsuna gave the senshis an encouraging smile and opened the door for them.  
  
A dazzling glow of light flooded out of the door and the senshi held hands, bracing and preparing themselves for their entry through the doors. They all stepped forward, and concentrating hard on the image of Mamoru and the silver haired girl, they walked through the double doors.  
  
After they passed through the doors, Sailor Pluto quickly closed the door. Breathing a sigh from weariness, she knew now that she could only wait and pray her friends would be safe. 


	5. A Name At Last....

Hey everyone!! I'm back :o) And with.*drum roll* CHAPTER FIVE! *everyone claps* lol...j/k. No, seriously though, I hope you all like my fic so far....and for those people that semi-flamed me before.......IS IT TO YOUR LIKING NOW?!!?! *muaha* I told you I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the integrity of ANY of the characters in my fic :o) (at least not the ones that don't belong to me!! Silver haired girl is MINE wahaha so I can do with her as I please). Sooo anyway, please review and keep on reading ^.~  
  
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"Where are we?" Sailor Mercury looked around her tentatively. The senshis found themselves on a different planet - obvious by the drastic change in atmospheric and climatic conditions. The planet was covered in permafrost of sorts and Sailor Mars shivered - the cold was definitely not her thing. They scanned the perimeter and found no traces of either Mamoru or the silver haired girl.  
  
"I think we should go that way" Sailor Venus pointed towards a general direction - it didn't matter which way they would go anyway because the landscape was all the same. It very much resembled a barren winter wonderland. The ground was covered with a light blanket of snow, and even as they trudged onwards toward the direction that Minako had chosen, small snowflakes fell from the sky and rested gently on their clothes.  
  
"I can sense him...he's near" Sailormoon intuitively declared. This raised the Senshis' spirits a bit and they hastened to a brisk jog. Suddenly, in the distance, they spotted the thing they were looking for - two figures, making their way quickly across the snow.  
  
"There they are!" Sailor Jupiter cried. They five senshi burst into a run and readied themselves for an attack. As if on queue, the silver haired girl noticed the flurry of motion behind her. In an instant, she seemed to transform from a sweet, fragile looking girl into a terrible snow witch. Her purple eyes changed to a piercing red and her silver hair blew wildly in the wind. The Senshis halted, too surprised and terrified to move.  
  
Clutching Mamoru with one hand, she held Setsuna's time staff with the other and pointed it towards the Senshi.  
  
"Dead scream!" Am eerie silence filled the air, and then was followed by a massive sonic scream that knocked the senshis off their feet. Cackling maliciously, she passed the staff over to the hand clutching Mamoru and cried out,  
  
"Crystal Witches awaken!"  
  
The senshis watched in horror as four figures materialized out of the snow. They were tall unearthly beings, elflike in appearance, each glowing with a faint silver light. Their faces were terrible to behold - each with a set of intense blue eyes and their ruby red lips formed a perpetual sneer. In each of their hands held a different weapon. One, a witch with silvery yellow hair held a crystal bow and arrow. She advanced forward first.  
  
"I am the ice witch of anguish and despair." With that, she lunged towards Venus, catching her unaware.  
  
A second witch stepped forward, this one with silvery blue hair, wielding a golden lyre and smirked at the now fighting senshi.  
  
"I am the ice witch of loss and sorrow." Her fingers ran over her golden lyre, emitting a song which pierced the heart of Sailor Mercury. The Senshi stumbled backwards, then regained her composure and countered with her own attack.  
  
The third witch, one with silvery green hair, wielded an ice rod and without a second thought, hit it hard against the ground, sending forth a stream of ice and snow at Sailor Jupiter. The witch leaped forward and cried,  
  
"I am the ice witch of doubt and fear!" Jupiter barely had time to jump to safety before the witch's attack cracked down on the spot where she just stood moments before.  
  
Lastly, the fourth witch, one with silvery red hair stood quietly behind the others, staring hard at Sailor Mars. The senshi of fire thought fast and thought to attack the unwavering orb wielding witch before the witch could attack her, so she charged towards the last witch, crying,  
  
"Burning Mandala!" The fourth witch simply stood there. As Mars' attack advanced toward her, she lifted up her orb and to Mars' surprise, her attack disappeared. Quietly, the witch declared, "And I, am the ice witch of confusion and frustration. Crystal attack retaliation!" With those words, Mars' own mandala shot forth from the witch's orb, making its way towards the surprised fire senshi.  
  
As her friends were being attacked, Sailormoon could only look on helplessly. To help one would be to abandon another, and she felt lost and out of place. Suddenly, she felt a voice within her call out to her - /Transform again, Sailormoon. You are not yet strong enough as you are to defeat the girl/ She knew what she had to do.  
  
"Crisis, make up!" in a dazzling display of lights and ribbons, Usagi felt herself transform yet again - this time into Super Sailormoon. The fighting senshi and witches paused momentarily to stare in awe at the woman that now stood before them.  
  
"Go find Mamoru!!" Super Sailormoon turned in surprise to hear the voice of Sailor Venus cry out towards her. "Go now before it's too late!" Super Sailormoon nodded and ran towards the place where she last saw her Mamo-chan and the silver-haired girl. As if waking up from a trance, the senshi and the witches resume their battle once more.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Oh, my Mamo-Chan, we're here!" The silver haired girl had managed to half drag/half guide a mesmerized Mamoru to a palace of ice and snow - the white building from Mamoru's memories.  
  
Mamoru groaned - he barely had enough strength to walk, let alone think clearly and he mumbled out a weak,  
  
"Why? Why are you doing this to me?"  
  
The silver haired girl, now back to her original delicate self glanced at Mamoru in disappointment. "What do you mean? We're going to live here from now on - and we'll be happy together: just like the old days! You as Master Mamoru, and me as Mistress Akemi. I promise to love you forever."  
  
Mamoru glanced up in surprise - Akemi. He had finally learned her name. After all these years, he could put a name to her face.  
  
"But I don't love you." Akemi reeled back in surprise and released her grip at Mamoru's words.  
  
"What?? Of course you do! We were destined to be together!" Tears glinted in her eyes and her hand started to tremble with anger and frustration.  
  
"No, we weren't. I was destined to be with Usagi" At his words, Mamoru felt a familiar sensation. It was Sailormoon - he knew she had transformed into Super Sailormoon and by the invisible ties that bound the two together, he intuitively transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. With some of his strength returning, he turned to face Akemi.  
  
"I'm sorry. You were my friend, but you have to realize that that was all we ever were and will be. Friends." Tuxedo Kamen looked apologetically down at the softly crying girl.  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen!" The tall man turned around as he heard his name being called by a familiar voice.  
  
"NEVER!" a now enranged Akemi had again transformed into a terrible snow witch, her eyes blazing a brilliant red with fury and her hair a silvery river that whipped and lashed out behind her. She pushed Tuxedo Kamen aside and used one hand to encase him a block of crystal and the other to aim a surge of power and energy towards Super Sailormoon.  
  
"if I can't have him, NO ONE WILL" with that, the witch raised her hands in the air and shot out a beam of ice skywards.  
  
"Spherical Frost Dream!" a dome of ice and snow formed around Super Sailormoon and Akemi and she smirked at the young senshi before her.  
  
"You will never have him." The witch spoke with a clear, cold voice. "He's mine." 


End file.
